1 Little Girl
by kem127475
Summary: 3 Words and One note and the one little girl that changes all of it. Mimi/Roger, Maureen/Joanne, Collins/Angel, Mark/OC
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own rent. I wish I did but I don't.**

 **December 24th, 1988**

Its Christmas Eve in Alphabet City and my entire Bohemian Family is asleep. Well everyone except for me that is. I'm looking at some of the shots I've gotten throughout the day while out filming. I never get much done around here between my roommate and best friend Roger's small little family, my two other bestfriends Tom Collins and Benny, and my girlfriend Maureen. My name is Mark Cohen and my life is crazier than you could ever imagine.

Mark hears footsteps coming down the hall which makes him stop thinking and look up. He see's his best friend and roommate Roger Davis walking down the hallway.

"Hey man its 11:30 what are you doing in your room already?" Mark asks his sleepy roommate.

"Trying to catch up on some sleep before Mar wakes us up early tomorrow."

"Oh your right it's Christmas Eve I forgot. That's smart. Marley never misses a Christmas morning." Marley Jeanne Davis the youngest of the Bohemian's. The 4 year old who came into this world on May 16th, 1984 and changed all their lives for the better.

"Yeah she's so excited. I got up because we have to put her presents under the tree but I can't find April anywhere." April is Roger's girlfriend and Marley's mom. Nobody 4 years ago would have expected these two to be good parents but they were. The Heroin using stopped and they both got better jobs. Roger was especially surprising because nobody expected him to handle fatherhood this well. 4 years ago Roger was a burnt out song writing junkie. Now he was a fun and loving dad who would do anything for his little girl.

"I haven't seen her I just got in." Mark replies.

"I'm really worried about her Mark. She hasn't been herself lately."

"I wouldn't worry to much Rog she wouldn't do anything-" Mark is suddenly cut off by a small cry heard from a little girls room.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Mark and Roger turn to the sound of little footprints running on the floor. "Daddy! Daddy!"

"What? Mar are you okay?" Roger asks bending down to the 4 year olds height.

"I haf to go bafwoom." Marley says.

Roger laughs "Well why didn't you just say so? Go ahead I'll come in and help you in a minute."

"Kay Daddy!" Marley says as she walks toward the bathroom.

"Good luck to me getting her back to sleep. Tonight of all nights she needs to use the-" Roger is cut off by a scream. "Marley are you okay?" Roger says running to the bathroom Mark following closely behind.

"Daddy oh Daddy!" The 4 year old cries.

"What is it Mar?" Roger asks expecting it to be a bug. When he saw what was in the bathroom he wished it had been. There lying lifelessly in the bathtub was his beautiful girlfriend and Marley's Mommy April, blood dripping down her slit writs, eyes not moving, not breathing. Tears flooded Roger's eyes as he knelt to the ground next to his girlfriends body. Maureen walks out of her bedroom with a yawn.

"What's with all this noise?" She asks.

"Maureen take Marley and wake Benny and Collins. Tell them to call 911." Mark says calmly.

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's...It's April she...uh...she-" Mark suddenly remembers the 4 year old next to him. "She's...sleeping and we...uh...we can't wake her up." Maureen gets the message and with tears streaming down her face takes Marley by the hand.

"Come on baby girl." She says picking her up, "Let's go get your Uncles."

"Mark-" Roger says holding a note in his hand. "It's from April." Mark takes the note from Rogers shaking hands. Mark fights back tears as he reads the 3 words over and over. No explanation, no I love you and Marley more than anything, no 'I'm sorry'. Just 3 words.

 _We Have Aids_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Rent. I wish I did but I don't. All the rights go to the extremely talented Jonathon Larson.

 **December 24th, 1989**

I don't how we made it here but we did. 1 year later and we're still here. Many new things happened this year Marley's speech has gotten better. She's still shaky with most of her words but she's improving. Her preschool teachers say she's one of the most well behaved kids in class. She learned how to ride a bike, lost her first tooth, she can even spell her name now. She turned 5 years old. Jesus April our daughter is 5 years old and growing and learning everyday and your not here to see any of it. Our little girl is 5 years old and she needs a mom. You took that away from her 1 year ago and even though we both miss you more than anything in the entire world I can't forgive you for that. What am I going to do when she gets older and starts going through girl stuff. She has Maureen but she's more of a crazy aunt. I just Jesus I don't. Why would you do this to yourself. Not even that why would you do this to our daughter. We created her. We brought her into this world and our job is to protect her. You left me alone in what we were supposed to do together.

Roger is pulled from his thoughts when he hears Marley's little footsteps walking toward him in the kitchen. He looks up and see's the beautiful little girl him and April created together 5 years ago. She has Roger's golden blonde hair and his blue/green eyes. Her face is all April though. The nose, the mouth, even her eye shape.

"Daddy." says Marley.

"Hey nugget what's up?" Roger asks his daughter.

"Where's Uncle Collins? He was sposed to be hewe an hour ago."

"He should be here soon. Why don't you go ask Uncle Mark if he has heard anything from him."

"Kay!" says Marley running off to her Uncle Marks room. A minute later they come out.

"Hey Rog I'm taking Mar to try and find Collins. We're going to grab some dinner at the life you want to come?" Mark Cohen says.

"No I'm trying to write a song."

"Pwease take a bweak Daddy! You wite songs allllllll day loonggg!" Marley says giving Roger her signature puppy dog eyes look she learned from her Aunt Maureen.

"Yeah pwease Daddy?" Mark says mocking Marley giving Roger his puppy dog eyes.

"Sorry baby girl I can't. Have fun with Uncle Mark though."

"Kay Daddy wuv you." Marley says.

"Love you too baby girl. Thanks Mark and be home at a decent hour it's Christmas Eve and she needs a bath before bed. Also we have to watch Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman before she goes to bed. You know Marley and her traditions."

"You got it. Be home by 9:30 at the latest."

"Thanks man. Bye Mar." Roger says waving to his best friend and daughter as they're walking out the door.

"Bye Daddy."

Roger sits back down and starts writing in his song notebook. A few moments later he hears a knock on the door. He get's up and see's a beautiful young girl standing in his doorway. He recognizes her but can't remember where from.

"Hi sorry to bother you but the power's out and I don't have any matches." The brown eyed mystery girl asks me.

"Yeah so?" Roger asks.

"I was wondering **_would you light my candle_**?

"Yeah let me just get my matches. You look really familiar and...your shivering?"

"Yeah it's nothing they just turned off my heat. I'm just really weak on my feet."

"Here. Your candles lit and take this jacket I insist."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. What's your name?" the mystery girl asks.

"I'm Roger."

"They call me Mimi." she says as she walks out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own RENT. All rights go to the late Jonathon Larson.

 **December 25th, 1989**

"December 25th 7 a.m. Eastern Standard time. Close up on Marley Davis waiting patiently for her Uncle Collins to show up so she can open her presents. Marley want to say anything to the fans watching from home?" Mark says to the 5 year old sitting on the counter watching her father cook breakfast.

"Hi guys! Mewwy Cwhistmas and a Happy New Yeaw." Marley says. Roger laughs as he enters the room. Marley turns around and runs towards Roger. "Mewwy Cwhistmas Daddy!"

"Merry Christmas nugget." Roger says giving Marley a kiss on the cheek. "Are you ready to open your presents?"

"NO DADDY! Uncle Collins isn't hewe so we hafta wait!"

"Okay baby. Where is Collins anyway?" Roger asks Mark whos setting up his camera near the Christmas tree. "He was supposed to get here last night."

"I don't know man. I threw him the keys last night and when me and Marls went down to look for him we couldn't find him. The door sliding open and closed makes Mark, Roger, and Marley look up.

"Merry Christmas Bitches!" Tom Collins yells as he walks through the door.

"Uncle Collins!" Marley yells running to go give her Uncle a hug.

"Hey Collins watch the language Miss Marley has been picking up some new words lately." Mark says going to greet his friend.

"Sorry man I forgot." Collins says giving his friend a hug. "Merry Christmas Marley. Jeez you've grown so much in a year. Let me guess your like 20 years old now?"

"Uncle Collins don't be silly! I'm only five!" Marley says obviously oblivious to her Uncles joke.

"No way! Hey Marls where's your father?"

"He's coming. Daddy's been weally slow lately and all he does is wite songs."

"Does he now?" Collins says turning to see Roger come into the room.

"Oh hi." Roger says quietly.

"Oh hi" Collins says mocking him. "It's been a year man come on where's my hug?"

"Sorry. How you doing Collins?" He asks embracing his friend.

"I'm good. I Got kicked out of MIT, now I work at NYU and I brought somebody today."

"What?" Roger and Mark ask.

"Yeah everyone I would like you to meet Angel." In walks a man dressed as one of the most beautiful women anyone has ever seen. He has a Santa jacket on and black and white leggings with boots on. He is carrying a sack of gifts.

"Hi nice to meet you all I'm Angel. You must be Mark and Roger. Collins has told me so much about you both." He says very sweetly.

"Hi yes nice to meet you." Mark says extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you." Roger says doing the same.

"Hey Uncle Collins look at this colowing book Aunt Mauween got me-" Marley stops talking as she notices an unfamiliar face in the room.

"You must be Marley."

"Yes." Marley says shyly.

"Hi I'm your Uncle Collins friend Angel."

"Nice to meet you."

"Its nice to meet you to. I brought gifts for you I heard you like to play with toys."

"Yes I do." Marley notices the big sack of toys and looks at Angel with a smile. "Angel?"

"Yes Marley?"

"Should I call you Auntie or Uncle." Everyone in the room starts to laugh. Angel looks at Marley with a smile.

"You can call me Auntie Angel." Marley smiles and then makes her way over to the tree.

"Lets open pwesents!"

"The princess has spoken!" Collins says. Everyone laughs and follows Marley to the tree. Everyone sits around and watches Marley open up her presents. Mark obviously records the entire thing. Angel got Marley some new dolls and a dollhouse for her to use them in. Collins got her a new stuffed animal. It was a pug which is Marley's favorite dog.

"I think I'll name hew Gabbana!" Marley says earning a laugh from everyone. Mark got her a plastic camera so she could pretend to film things on hers and not break his every time she touched it. "Look Daddy! I'm just like Uncle Mawky!"

"Thanks a lot Mark now I'm never going to get privacy in this house." Roger says sarcastically.

"Close up! Daddy is getting vewy angwy at Uncle Mawky." Marley says imitating her Uncle. This earns her a laugh from the four adults.

"Here Marls open up this one it's from Santa." Roger says sliding a box over her way. Marley opens the box and screams.

"DADDY! SANTA GOT ME A GUITAW I'M JUST LIKE YOU!" Roger laughs at the excitement his daughter has over the new guitar. He had saved a whole year for it. Marley has been bugging him to teach her how to play.

"No way that's super cool!" Roger says. "There's one more present for you to open peanut." He picks up a small box and hands it to her.

"Is this fwom you Daddy?" Marley asks.

"Yeah go ahead and open it." Marley opens the bow and pulls out a necklace with a heart. Marley opens up the heart and inside is a picture of her and Roger.

"Daddy I wuv it!" Marley gets up and gives Roger a big hug and a kiss. "Now can we go bwing Mommy hew pwesents?" Everyone looks shocked.

"What present Marls?" Roger asks.

"We hafta bwing hew flowews to hew gwave because it's Cwhistmas." Marley says. Roger is so taken aback by his daughters words he doesn't know how to respond. Tears begin to fill his eyes. He knew she would remember. Mark quickly realizes his friend struggling and answers for him.

"We're going to eat breakfast first and then I'll take you to get her some flowers and we'll bring them to her grave."

"Okay. Let's go eat bweakfast then." Marley gets up and runs to the kitchen. Roger is still sitting their stunned. He gets up and walks to his bedroom and starts crying. After a while he looks up and see's a note written on his window. ' _XMAS BRUNCH JUST THE TWO OF US - MIMI'_ it read. Roger didn't know how to feel. He felt attracted to her from last night but he can't. He has a five year old daughter who lost her mom a year ago. He didn't know what to do. Mark walks in and is about to say something when he notices the writing on the window. He points to it.

"Are you going?"

"No are you crazy. It's Christmas Day and I have a five year old daughter-"

"We can watch Marley it's not a problem." Collins says stepping into the room.

"She wants to go to Aprils grave Roger. We can take her there you should go out with Mimi." Mark says.

"Are you guys crazy. The only person taking Marley to Aprils grave is me and I'll do that when I'm ready." Roger storms out of the room angrily. The gang follows him.

"Daddy can we go to Mommy's gwave now?" Marley asks. "I made hew my own flowews."

"Marley no we aren't going today."

"But why not?"

"Because I said so."

"But Daddy it's Chwistmas." Marley says with tears in her eyes.

"I said no Marley-"

"But she needs hew pwesents-"

"MARLEY JEANNE I SAID NO!" Roger yells. Marley is shocked but soon tears begin to fall from her eyes and she runs into her room. Roger feels terrible but he's not ready. He convinces himself he's doing the right thing by not taking her. Mark seems to think otherwise.

"Come on Roger what are you doing? Are you trying to make this the second worse Christmas of Marley's life."

"She doesn't understand Mark. April left us, she left her. She didn't care about us."

"Roger go out with Mimi and I will take Marley to Aprils grave. She will be happy and I think you will be a lot happier too."

"Mark it's only been a year. I will take MY daughter when I'M ready to. She's not ready for another woman to be brought into her life it's just to soon." Roger walks into to his daughters room hoping to make things right. Mark can't help but think to himself.

'Marley's not ready or are you the one not ready Roger?'


End file.
